In the pharmaceutical industry, various types of fluids are used for the preparation, testing, and storage of pharmaceutical compositions, including drugs, drug components, cleaning solutions, and other fluids. These fluids often need to be safely transported between locations. Additionally, it is often important to maintain the sterility of these fluids before, during, and after transport. Due to sterility requirements, shipping containers for these fluids are often accompanied by various connectors, tubes, and filters that enable aseptic processing of the fluid.
Existing systems for transporting such fluids include a flexible inner container which holds the fluid (referred to as a biocontainer), such as a flexible bag, and an outer rigid container that supports and protects the biocontainer. The biocontainer is connected to tubing for filling, draining, and accessing the fluid. Other equipment may be connected to the biocontainer and the tubing, such as filters, pumps, and connectors that enable aseptic processing of the fluid. The tubing and connectors maintain a sterile fluid path for fluid access and enable sterile connections even in a non-sterile environment.
The tubing, connectors, filters, pumps, and other ancillary equipment are often shipped with the biocontainer for use in draining or accessing the fluid when it reaches its destination. Once the biocontainer is drained, the entire assembly may be shipped back to the initial location for re-use.
Therefore, there is a need to provide an outer container that can support the filled biocontainer as well as the ancillary equipment that enables aseptic processing of the fluid. There is also a need for a container that has compact outer dimensions and that minimizes the space occupied by the empty container during return shipping.